Oprah celebrates Christmas in Fiji

After a successful tour of Australia with her fans, Oprah Winfrey is taking a Christmas break in Fiji, according to news reports.

Local media reported that she arrived on Thursday with her longtime partner, Stedman Graham and will be staying there till December 26.

The military regime of Fiji welcomed her and said that they respected her privacy. We know she is here for a holiday and respect that, and the government obviously wants Winfrey to have a great time, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, the tourism minister, said to the press.

The South Pacific island nation of Fiji suffered a military coup in 2006 and there have been trade sanctions against the nation. Australia and New Zealand have imposed a travel ban on the military leaders. The Us state department has put a travel advisory against the nation.

Fiji is a popular tourist destination amongst the celebrities. Keith Richards of Rolling Stones, recently fell off a tree there and injured himself seriously.

The military regime is aware of its tourist potential amongst the celebrities and is vigilant about their privacy. Fiji is one of those destinations where we like people to come and have their own private time, and we're here to ensure that happens, the tourism minister said. We don't want Fiji to become a playground for the paparazzi, he added.

Oprah Winfrey’s eight-day tour of Australia has drawn frenzied media attention all over the world. Her larger than life gestures as usual add to her giving personality-this time she took along 100 of her fans to Australia. Although there is criticism about the government footing her nearly $5 milllion bill.

It is believed the publicity generated by her trip will more than compensate the government spend.